Bacon & Brie Frittata

Practically carb-free, this low carb bacon and brie frittata makes a great holiday brunch recipe. And this KitchenAid Stainless Steel Cookware is a fantastic gift for any foodie on your list.

I have a new love and it’s called stainless steel cookware. I have finally replaced the good pots and pans I received for my wedding over 13 years ago. At the time, they were the height of good cookware and they were very good to me. But it was time to break up with them and move on. In part because they were old and rather scratched and in part because I’ve become increasingly conscious of the environmental and health impact of some of the coatings on older non-stick cookware. I’ve tried a number of things in terms of replacements. I have a growing collection of cast iron, both enamelled and plain, and I love it but it has its limitations (not least of which is the sheer weight of those pots and pans!). I have also tested out a number of eco-friendly non-stick options and found those to have some limitations as well. For one thing, it’s harder to sear and brown foods on those ceramic-based surfaces. And for another, the surfaces can be SO non-stick at first that food slides around in them a little too much. But they also scratch and damage easily so even with great care, the non-stickability begins to wear off quickly.

It finally dawned on me that non-stick was not the only game in town and that most culinary professionals prefer stainless steel. I knew it would be an adjustment but decided that it might be the best option for my purposes. I was very fortunate to have the chance to review a set of stainless steel cookware from Kitchenaid. It’s a beautiful set and comes in red and black, but I chose the classic polished steel.

When it came, it was so shiny and perfect I was hesitant to cook with it, lest I mar its beautiful surfaces. And I was right about needing an adjustment period: if you’re used to non-stick cookware, stainless steel can present a few challenges. You need plenty of butter or oil to keep things from sticking, which is hardly a problem among the low carb set. In a way, I find this to be an advantage as it adds great flavour and nutrition. You also need less heat, as the conductivity of these pots and pans is quite remarkable. I have to keep reminding myself of this when I go to cook with it, and I try to keep the burners are medium or below. Only in a few cases do I find that I need a higher heat, such as searing meats. I’ve been using these pots and pans for a few months now and I find them a joy to cook with.

A huge benefit to this cookware is that it’s dishwasher safe. Unlike my old wedding-present cookware, I can pop my pots and pans into the dishwasher for easy clean-up. In fact, I prefer to clean it this way because it comes out looking as shiny new as when it first arrived. There’s nothing quite like pretty shiny new pots and pans on display to make me want to get cooking! I also don’t have to be nearly so careful with these pots and pans; I can stir and lift and flip with whatever old kitchen tool I have handy. As someone who cooks a lot, this sort of durability is a huge plus. It’s very reasonably priced for a set of good cookware but you can also purchase most of the pieces individually. I’d happily recommend it to any serious cook looking to get away from non-stick. A great present for any foodies on your list!

Now, you don’t need stainless steel to make my Bacon & Brie Frittata, but you do need some sort of oven-safe skillet. Bacon and brie are a match made in low carb heaven and frittatas are just about the easiest meal ever. This would be great as a holiday brunch recipe, but it also makes a great dinner. Gooey brie oozing out of a bacon-studded open-faced omelet…what could be more delicious?

In a 10 inch saute pan, cook chopped bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel lined plate. Reserve skillet and 2 tbsp of the bacon grease.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs with cream, garlic, salt and pepper and about two thirds of the cooked bacon. Set skillet over medium low heat and swirl remaining bacon grease to coat bottom and sides.

Pour egg mixture into skillet and cook undisturbed until edges are set up center is still somewhat loose, about 10 minutes.

Preheat broiler to high and set an oven rack on the second highest setting in the oven. Lay slices of brie on top of frittata. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Broil until puffed and golden brown, about 5 minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.
I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.
I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Comments

The first thing I thought while reading your stainless cookware review was “Thank goodness it’s not just me!” as I too have had difficulty adjusting to stainless cookware after practically a lifetime of using non-stick! Perhaps I’m still not using enough butter/oil, but I do feel its getting better overall; I can’t wait to try this recipe out for the holidays!!

With stainless steel, even if the pan does get some burned on grease, you can soak it and scour it clean — if that happens with non-stick finishes, it’s ruined. I’m somewhat abusive of my cookware and I love my stainless steel!

Carolyn, Finally getting around to considering this YUMMY recipe. I live alone and would want to be able to keep some of this for separate meals without having to eat it for 6 meals straight! With my quiche recipes, I assemble them and freeze them without baking (6 smaller quiche pans). When I’m ready to eat one, I bake them from frozen at 350F for about 45 – 50 minutes. Do you think this method might work with this recipe?
Thanks!

hi! I do not have a cast iron or stainless steel skillet, so I was thinking of baking this in the oven (doubling the recipe for Mother’s Day brunch), I was wondering what you thought the baking temp/time would be for that? I plan to add the Brie about halfway through once the eggs are set around the edges, but still soft in the middle.

Made this today and loved it! When I make it again, I think I might add some onion, maybe mushroom, and definitely some tomato slices on top? It is really yummy, as well as on the salty side (to be fair, I think I added too much salt by accident) — I think tomato would really give it a bright flavor that would be awesome.

That said, it is pretty perfect as it is! Good sized portions, too. I’m taking it for breakfast at work for the week. Yay!

Do you perchance have an electric oven? Because your broiling instructions don’t make a lot of sense to to someone with a gas oven, so I thought I’d better check.

For those who’ve only used gas, electric ovens have a heating element at the the top of the oven compartment that’s used for broiling. The instructions are consistent with that kind of set up. Note that if there’s anything resembling a drawer below the main oven compartment, it’s used for storage.

For those who’ve never used gas, a gas oven has one burner at the bottom of the main oven compartment. The “drawer” under the main compartment is, in fact, the broiler so you can put things to be broiled under the burner. I’m going to have to see if I can fit a cast iron skillet under there far enough below the burner to not burn a frittata. I may have to remove the top piece from the broiler pan.

Actually, while my current oven is electric, I’ve had several gas ovens previous to this (in the last 3 houses I lived in, in Boston) and ALL of them had a broiler element at the top of the oven. I have not seen one of the gas ovens with a broiling drawer in decades. So I am curious either where you live or how old your oven is!

I currently live in Philly, and before that I lived in the St. Louis area. I have no idea how old my oven is, but it was here when I moved into the house in 1995, and it wasn’t exactly new then. Every gas oven that I ever remember using had a broiler drawer. The idea that one would have a burner at the top just sounds strange to me.

This is so tasty and comes out of the oven looking beautiful! I used prosciutto in place of the bacon because that’s what I had on hand (I know, I know, and, yes, I am ashamed to admit that I temporarily ran out of bacon). Cooked the prosciutto to crisp it, then chopped and added to the eggs. I can’t cook without my herbs so I showered the top of the finished frittata with chopped fresh parsley and some chive flowers. Served it with tomatoes (thanks to cimmaryn’s comment above). Thank you for all your delicious recipes!

Looks amazing! I’m going to try it for a brunch this weekend. Did you know that you can season stainless steel pans to make them non-stick? Search Pinterest for the instructions. It’s on my list to try.

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